Profile of users of the first self-collection screening kit from the MémoDépistages program offered to MSM with multiple sexual partners in France in 2018

In 2017, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) established three months as the optimal frequency for HIV testing among men who have sex with men (MSM) in order to reduce the time between infection and diagnosis and the proportion of people living with undiagnosed HIV. These objectives rely on a wide range of HIV testing options—laboratories, anonymous testing centers, self-tests, and community-based testing—but the options are less diverse for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). To encourage repeated HIV testing while addressing challenges related to testing for other STIs, Santé publique France developed the MémoDépistages program for MSM with multiple partners. Promoted online in the spring of 2018, this program offered a self-collection kit for testing for HIV, HBV, HCV, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. Among the 7,158 eligible men who were offered a self-collection kit, 27.2% used it to perform at least one of the four recommended tests. These were predominantly urban men with a high level of education who were familiar with gay social venues. It was primarily sociodemographic factors (age, educational level) that were associated with a high rate of self-sampling use in the study. Used by nearly 30% of the men to whom it was offered, the self-sampling kit makes it possible to bring a diverse population to screening, both in terms of sociodemographic characteristics and in terms of attitudes toward screening.

Author(s): Rahib Delphine, Delagreverie Héloïse, Gabassi Audrey, Touré Tassiry, Le Thi Than-Thuy, Vassel Eléonore, Vodosin Pierre, Leveau Benjamin, Le Coz Lucas, Pisoni Amandine, Delaugerre Constance, Icard Vinca, Digne Julien, Tuaillon Edouard, Lydié Nathalie

Publishing year: 2019

Pages: 642-647

Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin, 2019, n° 31-32, p. 642-647

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